Eddie Graney-referee by Rob Snell

[Mofo2]

The Fort Wayne News and Sentinel 24 July 1920

By Robert Edgren

Eddie Graney is famous as the first American referee to wear a "tux" in the ring. In fact, it was Eddie Graney who made the tuxedo popular in San Francisco. In the old days Frisco regarded a "boiled shirt" as a bit of reckless ostentation, and any kind of evening clothes as something worn behind the footlights in New York and of no other practical use.

Graney's first appearance in the ring wearing his “tux" was a sensation. It gave Graney "class"—everybody admitted that. The papers printed pictures of Eddie as an honest horseshoer, an amateur boxer and as a referee whose 'tux" elevated boxing and made the Mechanics' Pavilion or Woodward's. Gardens as much a society center as the

National Sporting Club in London.

Before Eddie Graney's time a referee officiated in his shirtsleeves — usually rolled up. His shirt was likely to be pink, decorated with blue and green stripes. If he had on a collar and a tie he removed them before the first bell and tossed them to someone in the press box to guard until the fights were over. He wore trousers with a four inch check, and light yellow shoes. Sometimes a referee wore a sweater and a cap. There was no class at all until Eddie Graney made his first ring appearance in his little "tux", with stiff while shirt, high collar, hand tie black bow, three of the best pearl studs on Larkin Street.

Graney, in his "tux", referred many world's championship fights on the Pacific Coast when California was the best boxing state in the union and from twenty to forty five rounds was the popular distance travelled. Frisco began to point to Graney and his tuxedo as an evidence of superior civilization. When refereeing became slack Graney opened a cafe and called it "The Tuxedo."

I met Graney in San Francisco during the Democratic Convention. It was early in the afternoon, and Eddie doesn’t don the glad rags until one minute Past 6pm. Eddie " I asked, "what was the most interesting experience you ever had as a referee?"

Young Corbett Gave Graney a Straight Tip.

"The oddest thing that ever happened to me," said Graney, "was at the time of the second fight between Terry McGovern and Young Corbett, in this town. You know McGovern was invincible until he lost to Young Corbett at Hartford, he was a great little fighter. We'd seen him and knew his whirlwind style and we'd seen Corbett fight Eddie Hanlon a month before. It was a wonderful matchâ€.

"A few days before the fight I visited McGovern to talk over the rules. I asked Terry how he wanted to fight, "straight rules†said McGovern, “protect yourself at all timesâ€. That was McGovern's way.

"I visited Young Corbett at his quarters next day, and told him how McGovern wanted to fight. I don't care how McGovern fights. I'll tell you that fellow fights only one way, and it doesn't make any difference what rules we fight under, the result will be the same. McGovern will rush me the moment the bell rings for the first round. He'll tear in and hook his left for my jaw. I'll beat him to the punch with a straight left and stop his rush. He'll go crazy and tear into me with a right swing. I'll step in to meet him and beat him to it with a straight right and put him down. That’ll be the end of the fight, or it will start him on his way for a beating. Let him fight under any rules he likesâ€.

“In the fight everything came along just as Young Cobett said it would. Terry rushed in and hooked his left and Corbett beat him to the punch with a straight left inside to the jaw and stood him up on his heels. Terry went wild and tore in, swinging his right, and Corbett stepped to meet him and knocked him to his knees with a short right on the jaw. Then Young Corbett turned to me and said: What did I tell you? Had him right, didn’t I ?'

McGovern turned to watch the timekeeper and sat up on one knee, waiting. Corbett said to him: Why don't you quit, the way you did at Hartford. He was trying to make Terry get up and lay himself open for the knockout. But Terry waited for the count and didn't get up until it reached nine. At the end of the first round he had Young Corbett plastered against the ropes and was whaling away with both hands, trying to knock him out.

Corbett had it right, though. He practically beat McGovern with that first knockdown. McGovern was dazed from that time on, and Corbett beat him in eleven rounds by punching his body and wearing him down.

Graney is like a lot of old timers in his belief that modern boxers aren't of the old-time class.

Only the "Championshlp Route" Makes Champions

When California barred the championship route, he said, real championship fighting went off the map.This short, no-decision stuff is the bunk. It never developed a really great champion and never will. Now that New York is to have fifteen rounds and decisions, we may develop some first class ring generals again., but I don’t expect ever to see anything like the old times when every state or city had a champion or a contender.

Boxing was a great sport when John L Sullivan and George Dixon represented Boston; New Orleans had Andy Bowen, Denver had Denver Ed Smith, New York had Jack Dempsey and Jack McAuliffe, Jim Corbett. Joe Choynski , George Green, and the rest of that great old-time bunch. In those days there was rivalry between cities and rivalry between states.

When a California boxer went to Montana to box his following went with him. When a New York champion crossed the country he brought his backers. It was something like those Olympic Games, especially when the English or the Australians came over here or our boys went over there. They had fighters in those days. Look at the list front Australia: The Murphys, Peter Jackson,Frank Slavin, Bob Fitzsimmons, Dan Creedon. Young Griffo —cleverest fighters the world ever saw. England sent over Jem Mace, Charlie Mitchell and a hundred others. Boxing now is a parlour sport beside the boxing those fellows did.

And the referee today — say, did it ever strike you that not one referee in a hundred knows the rules?"

"Fact," said Graney. "For instance the rules say a boxer must rise within ten seconds, unassisted, don't they?

Did it ever strike you that when a referee stands over a boxer and pumps his hand up and down with the count he's assisting the boxer to get up? He is. Just the sight of the referee standing over him. waving his hand and counting in a loud voice, has aroused many a beaten boxer who never would have' gotten up in ten seconds if left to himself."